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Wednesday, May 30, 2012

May is Physical Fitness Month

I'm not sure why May was picked for this honor. Maybe
dancing around the May Pole brings physical activity to mind? Kids running out
of schoolyards, released for the summer?

Are you physically fit? Can you dance around the May Pole,
run around a schoolyard, keep up with an energetic kiddo? If you are, I'll bet
it's in spite of your job.

There are loads of occupations that tie you to a desk, and
one of them is--writer. I'll bet writers, as a whole, aren't the most fit
people on the planet. In order to write, nowadays, you have to be sitting in a
chair at a computer. Or perhaps curled up somewhere with a laptop or netbook or
even an AlphaSmart. It doesn't work to be walking around while you write. But
you CAN do exercises at your desk.

You just need to schedule mini-breaks. When I think of it, I
turn on my timer for 50 minutes. I work until it goes off, then get up for at
least ten minutes and do something besides sit and type.

Here are some suggestions:

STRETCHING

You can do these without leaving your chair.

Put your palms on your lower back and lean backwards to
stretch your spine backwards. Then lean forward and grab your ankles. Pull your
ears as close to your shoulders as you can, to stretch your neck. Reach up as
high as you can, then, holding your arms straight, reach behind you. Do some
shoulder rolls, wrists and ankle circles. I like straightening my knees and
holding my legs straight out for at least 20 seconds.

GETTING UP AND MOVING

Look at your clock and run in place for a minute or so. Do some
lunges, go pick the newspapers and/or shoes up off the floor, walk around the
building or up and down some stairs, if you're lucky enough to have them.

DON'T FORGET YOUR POOR, TIRED EYES

I like to do eye rolls when my eyes get fatigued. I imagine
my eye as a circle with eight points, up, down, left, right, and four points in
between those. I first look up, then move clockwise around the circle, stopping
for a second at each point. Then I repeat that counter-clockwise. It feels good
to gently massage the bony socket around the eye, too. Also in a circle
pattern. You might find sore spots that need an extra bit of massage where your
eye muscles are strained.

Do a search for "desk exercises" or "chair
exercises" and you'll find dozens of others that you can tailor into a routine
that suits you. The worst thing you can do is sit for three hours straight! I
know this because, well, you can probably figure that out.

Kaye, I need exercise in some form or other. Otherwise I can't be creative. I walk almost every morning, weather permitting, and from spring through fall I'm quite busy gardening and mowing - quite physical work, plus cleaning pony stalls several times a week. In fact, I blogged about the importance of exercise last week.

The med students at my university swear by desk-bicycles, like these: http://www.amazon.com/Isokinetics-Inc-Brand-Pedal-Exerciser/dp/B000KDWA82/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2WGB187YQP6MB&colid=3EIA28IKPY15Y